I planned to read 32 books this year, but I ended up reading 34. While I read most of them for reviews and only a few for pleasure, overall, it was a great year. I’ve fallen in love with new authors and their books. With the exception of #4, it was the first time I’d read anything by the author, and it won’t be my last!

It was hard to narrow it down to my favorite book of 2013, there was just no way I could pick so I had to make it a tie. The following two books were AMAZING! Not only is the writing witty, the characters and story lines are unforgettable. If you’re looking for a feel-good, quick and fun read, the following two, then I know you’ll love Blogger Girl by Meredith Schorr and Finding Lucas by Samantha Stroh Bailey.

If you follow sports, then you probably know that tonight is the first game of the World Series. For the National League, the St. Louis Cardinals will be playing the American League Champions, the Boston Red Sox. (For those of you that know me, you know how hard it was to write the words, American League Champions and Red Sox, right?)

Non-sports fans, I will stop boring you now…

Practice: If you’re a writer, you know that it’s best to write every single day. Whether it’s 100 or 1,000 words, it’s important to just get something down. This is especially important if you’re on a deadline. Practice, practice, practice = write, write, write! (Blogger note: After “The Right Design” is published in January, I need to learn to take my own advice to write each day!)

The Game: Yay! You’ve written a book! Sit back and relax! Take a week off (at the most, two), but be prepared to come back to your novel, knowing the hard part is just beginning! “The hard part?” you ask me. “YES!” Playing the game, is the hard part! If this weren’t true, being a writer would be easy, but it’s not. It’s the part where you look back over your MS, and even dabble in the thought of sending it out to beta-readers (I loved mine) and to anyone else who you think would like to read it over. The most important part of this process is picking people who will give you honest and helpful feedback.

Championship Games:If you’ve revised your book and are happy with it, now it’s time to play the game. Since you have coaches (um, I mean, editors), then you should feel in safe hands with them as they guide you down the field (or, in this case, page by page). Every whistle they blow (comment they make), time out they call (email they send you to cheer you on or answer a question you had), they’re there for you. If you have talented people to help you along the way, then you’re bound to learn to play the game the right way, and I’m sure you’ll learn a few things in the process.

World Series or Super Bowl:Congratulations! You’ve made it to the World Series or Super Bowl! How do you feel to have your manuscript completed? Now that it’s gone live for the world to see (meaning you’ve pressed “PUBLISH”), it’s time to be welcomed out onto the field. Whether you’re the starting pitcher or quarterback (a well-known author) or you’ll be playing in the outfield or wide receiver (a debut author, who’s being welcomed into the world of publishing), it’s time to start gathering your fanbase. While it’s nice to have your friends and family support you, it’s also important for others to do so, too. Using social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter are the two places I highly recommend. Create Facebook and Twitter pages and enjoy receiving “Likes” and “Follows” along the way. **Blogger tip: When using Facebook, do not create a page using your book’s name, use your author name. This will be easier for when you playing in the World Series or Super Bowl again and your fans know what you’re up to.

The most important step in playing this game is to know that you won’t win each game. Sometimes, you’ll just come to play (publish a book and just having it just do okay). Don’t worry, there will be next games (books you’ll write), and you might even win the World Series or Super Bowl. When you do, it’s important for you to take time to enjoy being in the spotlight. Tell yourself, “I can do this! I’m an author!” (It might take even weeks for it to hit you that you’ve written an Amazon or B&N top ten list).

My question for you is, “Are you ready to go to Disneyland?” If so, start practicing! 🙂

Before I explain why Chick Lit Goddess has a new look, let me share two exciting news!

The anthology, in which my short story is part of, has a name! It is: Merry & Bright! Isn’t that cute? Later this week, I will be sharing a cover reveal for it later next week and have to say that I love it! I’m in the final stage of looking it over once more, before I send it to the editor next week! Yay!

As for my book, The Right Design, I’m working with an amazing woman who’s doing my cover art for the book. On Monday morning, I received several concepts and loved them all in their own way, but a certain three or four stick out to me. My husband could see that I’m weighing my options, so he taped them to the refrigerator. Now each time I’m in the kitchen, I find myself staring at them. Hopefully, I will have a cover to share with you in the upcoming weeks! P.S. Scarlett Rugers, I can’t thank you enough! For those of you who are wondering when it’s going to be published, I’m working on yet another round of edits and plan on publishing it in January! Yes, that’s only months away, and I’m so excited! (I would have it published in December, but why not start the year off the right way?) 😉

Now, back to explaining the Chick Lit Goddess change facelift…Since I will be a published author soon, I’ve decided to start using this site as a feature page for writers and authors. Whether it’s an interview with, and a guest post by the author, or sharing blurbs, chapter teases, and cover reveals, this is where all that will be shared. In the next few weeks, I will be working on getting my author website set up, and of course, I’ll share it with you all! 🙂